Chapter Seven
Zawri’s head and shouldersemerged from the pool of sparkling water to find Wex standing with a small silver chest.
Tok, who was behind him, popped over the rock ledge and dropped into the pool.
“Are you going to bury that treasure in here?” she teased.
“No, in your arm.”
“What?” she asked sharply. They’d had a lovely few days together. They’d talked and eventually began to tease each other without fear of causing offense.
Tok emerged from the water behind her. He took her left arm and extended it.
“Be still,” he whispered.
Wex knelt on the spongy ground and opened the chest. He drew out a small pressurized needle with a canister of pinkish gold ink attached.
“What are you thinking?” she asked, trying to draw her arm back.
Tok’s strong grip held her arm where it was.
“Tok, no,” she said, trying to peel his fingers from her left arm. He grabbed her right arm and pinned it behind her back.
“Go ahead, Wex.”
“Do not go ahead, Wex. I’m saying no.”
Wex gave her a pained look. “It won’t hurt much,” he said.
“I’m not worried about the pain. You paddled me sternly last night, and I’m not pouting today. You know I’m not afraid of pain.”
“Then stay still,” he said, bending over her wrist.
She screamed when the needle went in and again when the stinging sensation grew intense as he injected the ink. She howled when he changed canisters and framed the letters in kohl.
“Done,” Wex said, pulling the needle gun back.
“Done,” Tok said, turning her and pulling her arm up to examine the letters.
She burst into tears.
“No,” Tok said, pulling her against him. He stroked her hair. “Get her something strong to drink. The vylar.”
“So she can wake up and think we drugged her to do it? No. She can have wine. That’s it.”
“Go and get it.”
“It doesn’t hurt physically,” she said, tears of frustration dripping down her face.
“Then what?”
“We were becoming more than crew and handmaiden. I thought we were becoming friends! You let me believe that!” she said, slapping his chest.
His brows rose. “Why are you angry?”
“You forced this mark on me! You didn’t give me a choice.”
“It’s not your choice. It’s mine.”
